Maasai Clean Cookstoves

Many Rwandan women face gender-based violence, inequality, and discrimination. The Nyamirambo Women’s Center (NWC) opened in 2007 to provide education and training to disadvantaged women so that they can gain better opportunities for employment. To fulfill its mandate, NWC offers the community different activities, such as free classes in literacy, English, basic computer skills, handicrafts and sewing, and training on gender-based violence and women’s empowerment.

In order to ensure they can support their community, the Nyamirambo Women’s Center started taking advantage of the tourism industry in Kigali by offering community tours, cooking classes and craft workshops.

Maai Mahiu town is located along the major tourist and trade route in East Africa.  This route is also known as the AIDS Highway due to the truck drivers who travel it propelled the spread of the disease. As adults become ill or die, they leave an ever-growing population of orphaned or abandoned children to fend for themselves on the garbage-strewn streets.  These hardships along with the communities roughly 80% unemployment rate makes it extremely difficult to build and empower themselves and those around them. The Ubuntu Team realized that lasting change begins with creating jobs, and building opportunities that empower the local community to take ownership of their own lives so that they can begin building a brighter future for their families and the wider community.

Namibia paid special attention to gender equality and women’s empowerment during the formation of the country’s constitution, and significant gains have been made since then, including increased school enrollment for girls, and political representation for women. However, there is still much improvement left to make for women in the country’s socio-economic sphere. The patriarchal nature of many local cultures combined with the impacts of the HIV/AIDS crisis mean women often face an uphill battle, particularly in women-headed households. Employment opportunities, particularly those that take into account the special circumstances of those living with conditions or illnesses such as HIV are needed throughout the country.

Zambia is a vibrant flourishing nation in Southern Africa, which has seen recent economic growth, though this has mostly been concentrated in urban centres. Employment opportunities are gravely needed in rural areas, and are perhaps even more imperative for communities which border national parks that hold the country’s precious wildlife. Tribal Textiles, located just outside of South Luangwa National Park, is one of the largest employers in the village of Mfuwe, and because employees and artisans are able to gain income from these opportunities, they are less likely to engage in poaching of resources from the tourist-frequented park.